Posts Tagged ‘alleviating’

Breaking the Myths of Motherhood: One Step Toward Alleviating Postpartum Mood Disorders

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Many first-time mothers are baffled when they find their new life with baby doesnโ€™t match up to the myths of motherhood. We are led to believe that having a baby should be a glorious, magical time. We are taught not only that we will but that we must bond immediately with our babies. We believe in the images of mother and father standing over their babyโ€™s crib holding each other close and smiling with glee, and we assume we will have the same experience.

But the reality is often a bit more raw. Reality may include fear, exhaustion, confusion and self-doubt. It may involve a high-needsโ€™ baby, breast-feeding challenges, marital adjustments, isolation, or other life stressors.

When a woman has a family or personal history of depression or anxiety in addition to hormonal shifts, sleep deprivation, and a less than perfect experience as a new mother, she may be thrown into an unexpected state of irritation, depression, anxiety or obsessive/compulsive behavior. It can be a time of confusion and increased self-doubt, leaving her wondering, โ€œWhat is wrong with me?โ€

10-20% of pregnant women will experience postpartum depression or anxiety. The good news is that it is incredibly treatable. For mild depression or anxiety, support, exercise, healthy eating, and a moderate amount of sleep may be all it takes for a mother to feel like herself again. For moderate to severe depression or anxiety, an individualized combination of self-care, therapy and medication has proven to resolve even the most challenging postpartum adjustment issues.

During pregnancy, if a woman knows she has a family or personal history of depression or anxiety, if there are actual or anticipated life stressors during pregnancy or the first year postpartum, or if she has minimal amount of support in her life, she can shore up resources and support during pregnancy to minimize the possibility of postpartum depression.The greatest gift a mother can give to her baby is to feel good about being a mom. The greatest gift she can give to herself is the support and self-care she needs to make that her reality.

For more information on this therapist and other articles, visit www.therapylinx.com!

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Parenting | No Comments »

Alleviating Morning Sickness

Thursday, June 19th, 2008

Most women don’t think of morning sickness as helpful, but it can be an excellent

indicator of pregnancy. Morning sickness usually begins between the fourth and sixth

week of pregnancy. This is often the first sign most women get that they are actually

pregnant. Therefore, morning sickness is a clue to start taking better care of your health

for you and your baby.

No one knows the exact reason pregnant women experience this time of nausea and

vomiting. When you become pregnant, your body is going through many hormonal

changes, which are normal. The pregnancy hormone, “human chronic gonadotropin,” is

believed to be the cause of morning sickness, although not much research has been

done on the subject. Low blood sugar is also believed to be a contributing factor of

nausea and vomiting during early pregnancy.

Morning sickness does not mean you will be sick and vomiting every morning. Morning

sickness can occur at any time of the day or night. It varies from woman to woman and

can be brought on by many different things. Knowing what can cause your morning

sickness to worsen can be helpful in preventing severe symptoms. Unfortunately, in

some cases, nothing can be done to lessen the severity of morning sickness. If you are

vomiting more than twice a day or think you may be losing weight, contact your doctor.

He or she may prescribe medication that can lessen the symptoms of morning sickness.

Morning sickness can occur regardless of your lifestyle, but there are many factors that

may contribute to causing morning sickness to be more severe. Here are some things to

do that may help prevent the onset of nausea and vomiting:

” Do not let your stomach get empty. An empty stomach can lead to severe

nausea.

” Move slowly when getting out of bed in the morning.

” If possible, eat a few crackers before getting out of bed.

” Drinking plenty of fluids during the day can prevent dehydration.

” Get lots of rest, taking naps during the day if possible.

” When cooking, keep your kitchen well ventilated to avoid lingering odors.

” Get a light amount of exercise, which will help you sleep and get rest.

Food is a big factor for most women when dealing with morning sickness. From eating

the right foods to smelling the wrong ones, food of all kinds can either help or prevent

morning sickness. Some tips for dealing with food and morning sickness are:

1. Eat many small meals throughout the day. Eating too much at one time can

make you feel sick, but not keeping something in your stomach will bring on nausea.

2. Take your prenatal vitamins with food. Some vitamins may cause your

stomach to become upset if not taken with food.

3. Try to avoid spicy and acidic foods. These foods can irritate your delicate

stomach and make your symptoms worse.

4. Stay away from high-fat foods. These can also worsen morning sickness

symptoms.

5. Eat foods high in protein, as they can help lessen your symptoms.

6. Drinking fluids thirty minutes before and thirty minutes after eating can help

with symptoms, try not to drink during meals.

7. Eat whatever foods you feel like you can keep down. Pregnancy is not a time to

start or continue on a diet, unless advised by your doctor.

8. Avoid hot foods if your sense of smell is very strong. Cold foods do not smell as

strong as hot foods.

9. Eat anytime you feel like you want to.

10. Certain foods seem to help most women alleviate morning sickness

symptoms. Eating these may help: dry crackers, Melba toast, whole wheat toast/bread,

fruit, baked potatoes, pasta etc. These are easy to digest foods and are light on your

stomach.

11. Some women find relief in drinking carbonated drinks.

12. Ginger is believed to help relieve symptoms of morning sickness. Try eating

ginger snaps, drinking ginger ale or ginger tea.

Morning sickness can range from making you a little queasy to very sick and unable to

get out of bed. The good thing is it usually only lasts through your first trimester of

pregnancy and should start disappearing after the twelfth or thirteenth week. Just keep

in mind it is a normal part of being pregnant, and you are enduring it for a great cause.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Parenting | No Comments »